Written Assembly Questions tabled on 23 November 2016 for answer on 30 November 2016
R - Signifies the Member has declared an interest.
W - Signifies that the question was tabled in Welsh.
(Self-identifying question no. shown in brackets)
Written Questions must be tabled at least five working days before they are to be answered. In practice, Ministers aim to answer within seven/eight days but are not bound to do so. Answers are published in the language in which they are provided, with a translation into English of responses provided in Welsh.
To ask the First Minister
Steffan Lewis (South Wales East): How many Welsh Government employees work in Brussels? (WAQ71556)
Answer received on 30 November 2016
The First Minister (Carwyn Jones): Staffing matters within the Welsh Government are the responsibility of the Permanent Secretary. I have asked him to write to you separately with the information you have requested.
Steffan Lewis (South Wales East): How many Welsh Government employees work for the Welsh European Funding Office? (WAQ71557)
Answer received on 30 November 2016
Carwyn Jones: Staffing matters within the Welsh Government are the responsibility of the Permanent Secretary. I have asked him to write to you separately with the information you have requested.
To ask the Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Infrastructure
Suzy Davies (South Wales West): What plans does the Welsh Government have to contribute funding, land, assistance and/or guidance to the planned conversion of the Bute Road Railway Station into an Army Medical Services Museum? (WAQ71561)
Answer received on 30 November 2016
The Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Infrastructure (Ken Skates): We are currently in discussion with the Museum of Military Medicine regarding a site in Cardiff Bay. Revenue funding for local and independent museums is a matter for their governing bodies and the Museums of Military Medicine has not sought funding from the Welsh Government.
Specialist officials from the Museums, Archives and Libraries Division met with representatives from the museum earlier this year and are in regular contact with them.
To ask the Cabinet Secretary for Health, Well-being and Sport
Lynne Neagle (Torfaen): Further to the answer to WAQ71491, will the Minister publish a detailed timeline of the All Wales Medicine Strategy Group's effort to engage with Roche on Avastin? (WAQ71548)
Answer received on 6 December 2016
The Cabinet Secretary for Health, Well-being and Sport (Vaughan Gething): Please see below a table summarising the All Wales Medicine Strategy Group's (AWMSG) efforts to engage with Roche for an appraisal of bevacizumab (Avastin) for cervical cancer.
| March 2015 | AWMSG first approached Roche to submit evidence for an appraisal of bevacizumab (Avastin) for cervical cancer. At this time, a NICE technology appraisal was in progress and due for publication within 12 months. Although the All Wales Therapeutics and Toxicology Centre (AWTTC, the secretariat arm of AWMSG) explored the possibility of AWMSG appraisal as an interim measure ahead of NICE guidance, the company indicated they would not be in a position to submit evidence to AWMSG ahead of NICE. Avastin was therefore excluded from the AWMSG appraisal work programme. |
| August 2015 | NICE removed Avastin from their work programme. AWTTC therefore contacted the company again and confirmed that appraisal by AWMSG would now be required. AWTTC highlighted the urgent need for advice on this medicine but Roche declined this request. |
| October 2015 | Despite regular dialogue with the company, Roche had not send a submission so a Statement of Advice was posted on 13 October 2015 stating that – without a submission of evidence - Avastin could not be endorsed for use in NHS Wales. |
| May 2016 | The Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC) recommended Avastin be made available within NHS Scotland from May 2016; this included a price reduction through a patient access scheme. |
| May 2016 | Roche subsequently agreed to engage with AWMSG's appraisal process and proposed a Wales Patient Access Scheme (price reduction). |
| August 2016 | AWTTC confirmed acceptance of the patient access scheme and encouraged Roche to submit their dossier of evidence for appraisal. |
| November 2016 | AWTTC received the dossier of evidence for appraisal. |
Subject to agreement with Roche, AWMSG has scheduled the appraisal for February 2017 and the final consideration and decision in March 2017.
Angela Burns (Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire): Will the Minister outline what steps the Welsh Government is taking to tackle stigma around hepatitis C? (WAQ71553)
Angela Burns (Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire): Will the Minister outline what steps are being taken to increase awareness of hepatitis C among key at-risk groups? (WAQ71554)
Answer received on 6 December 2016
Vaughan Gething: Last week, the First Minister and Minister for Social Services and Public Health attended an event sponsored by the Terrence Higgins Trust to raise awareness for European HIV/Hepatitis Testing Week. The Minister and Chief Medical Officer have also been raising awareness of the importance of HIV/Hepatitis testing via social media.
The Liver Disease Delivery Plan prioritises public awareness campaigns and education for individuals as well as health providers to improve the understanding of Hepatitis C in order to help reduce stigma. Injecting drug use continues to be the most important risk factor for Hepatitis C infection in the UK with around 90% of new Hepatitis C infections acquired this way. The Substance Misuse Action Plan, therefore, emphasises the importance of raising awareness amongst children and young people, and highlights the need to educate and influence attitudes across the whole population.
The prevalence of Hepatitis C in prisons has been documented at 14% compared to 3% in the general UK population. In October of this year, the Chief Medical Officer asked all prisons in Wales to initiate an opt-out system for blood borne virus testing as of this month, which includes awareness-raising amongst inmates and prison staff. The previous system offered testing to those considered to be most at risk but the new system extends the offer of testing to all prisoners. Opt-out testing for blood borne viruses in the prison population will significantly improve detection and reduce onward transmission of disease in one of our most at-risk populations.
Angela Burns (Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire): Will the Minister commit to eliminating hepatitis C as a major public health threat by 2030, in line with the aim of the World Health Organisation's Global Health Sector Strategy on Viral Hepatitis? (WAQ71555)
Answer received on 30 November 2016
The Cabinet Secretary for Health, Well-being and Sport (Vaughan Gething): The Liver Disease Delivery Plan is committed to the eradication of viral hepatitis through the identification and treatment of all individuals with Hepatitis B and C. A key focus of the plan is the effective use of new medicines through a national access model, targeting high risk populations, a priority which is already being delivered. Officials from Public Health Wales have met with their UK counterparts to discuss how the World Health Organization’s (WHO) target to reduce new cases of chronic Hepatitis C by 30% by 2020, and 90% by 2030 can be met. In July, the UK nations jointly published the eighth annual report on Hepatitis C infection in the UK which has been re-designed to support the monitoring of the impact of UK actions against the WHO Global Health Sector Strategy Targets for viral Hepatitis.
We have recently taken action to help reduce the prevalence of Hepatitis C in prisons, which has been documented at 14% compared to 3% in the general UK population. In October of this year, the Chief Medical Officer asked all prisons in Wales to initiate an opt-out system for blood borne virus testing as of this month. The previous system offered testing to those considered to be most at risk but the new system extends the offer of testing to all prisoners. Opt-out testing for blood borne viruses in the prison population will significantly improve detection and reduce onward transmission of disease in one of our most at-risk populations.
To ask the Cabinet Secretary for Environment and Rural Affairs
Mark Isherwood (North Wales): What action is the Welsh Government taking in respect of the Dee Valley Water takeover by Severn Trent Water Ltd? (WAQ71546)
Answer received on 2 December 2016
The Cabinet Secretary for Environment and Rural Affairs (Lesley Griffiths): This acquisition is between two private companies and is being dealt with by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA). The Welsh Government has no powers to intervene in the process.
Although mergers and acquisition between water companies are a non-devolved matter, I have responsibility for the water portfolio and have sought assurances about the implications of the proposed acquisition, in particular, how Severn Trent intends to protect the local workforce, jobs, community and customers and how they intend to contribute to the delivery of the Welsh Government’s Water Strategy for Wales.
Officials are also seeking assurances the Welsh Government policy position has been fully taken into account in considering this acquisition.
Mohammad Asghar (South Wales East): Will the Minister provide a progress report on plans to improve opportunities to access the outdoors for responsible recreation following the end of the consultation on 1 October 2015? (WAQ71547)
Answer received on 30 November 2016
The Cabinet Secretary for Environment and Rural Affairs (Lesley Griffiths): I intend to set out my approach in relation to access to the outdoors early in 2017.
To ask the Cabinet Secretary for Education
Darren Millar (Clwyd West): Will the Minister provide a list of those individuals and organisations the Welsh Government has consulted with in preparing the revised guidance on elective home education which will be issued in the coming weeks? (WAQ71549)
Answer received on 2 December 2016
Kirsty Williams: The open consultation exercise on the new guidance ran from 8 May 2015 to 3 July 2015. We received 153 responses, of which 120 were from individuals and 32 from local authorities, the public sector, trade unions, the NHS, third sector and home educating groups. The Data Protection Act does not allow me to disclose the names of the individuals. I am, however, able to list the following organisations which responded:
ADEW/WLGA
Association of School & College Leaders
Betsi Cadwaladr UHB
Bridgend County Borough Council
Cardiff County Council
Carmarthenshire County Council
Ceredigion County Council
Children’s Commissioner for Wales
Conwy County Borough Council
Education Otherwise Associates
ERW
Estyn
Family Education Trust
Flintshire County Council
Heatherside Education Consultants
Home Education Advisory Service
Home Education Northern Ireland
Home Education North Wales
Home School Legal Defense Association
Monmouthshire County Council
National Union of Teachers
NSPCC Wales
Newport City Council
Pembrokeshire County Council
Powys Schools Service
Safeguarding Children Services
Save the Children
Shiny Happy Children Home Education Group
Swansea City and County Council
Torfaen County Borough Council
Vale of Glamorgan County Council
Ysgol Eirias
We will be publishing, alongside the revised guidance, a consultation report on the Welsh Government’s website within the next couple of weeks.
Darren Millar (Clwyd West): Which organisation has the responsibility of collecting, collating and analysing data on the education workforce at present; how is this data used; and where is it published? (WAQ71550)
Answer received on 30 November 2016
The Cabinet Secretary for Education (Kirsty Williams): The Welsh Government collect aggregated level data on teacher and support staff numbers, recruitment and retention and teaching through the medium of Welsh at a school level as part of the Pupil Level Annual School Census (PLASC).
Information from PLASC is used by the Department for Education (DfE) in running a teacher pay forecasting model for England and Wales. The information is also provided as evidence submitted to the School Teacher Review Body (STRB) on an annual basis for negotiations on teachers pay awards.
The Education Workforce Council (EWC) is the independent regulator for teachers and support staff in maintained schools and FE institutions in Wales. Information on the education workforce is captured on the Register of Education Practitioners as part of the initial registration process. The information to be held on the register is set out in the Education Workforce Council (Main Functions) (Wales) Regulations 2015.
Information from the EWC register and PLASC are used in the Teacher Planning and Supply Model (TPSM) which is used to inform decisions on intake targets for Initial Teacher Education Training (ITET).
Aggregated data on teacher sickness absence is collected separately, directly from local authorities. This data was published at a local authority level for the first time in 2016 with the aim of helping to improve transparency and standards across Wales.
Data from PLASC and the teacher sickness absence data collection is published annually as part of a statistical first release:
http://gov.wales/docs/statistics/2016/160727-school-census-results-2016-en.pdf
Further data underlying the tables in the release can be found on our StatsWales Website:
https://statswales.gov.wales/Catalogue/Education-and-Skills/Schools-and-Teachers/Schools-Census
The EWC publish an annual statistical digest which are available to download from their website:
http://www.ewc.wales/site/index.php/en/research-statistics/education-workforce-statistics
In addition, I announced the launch of the first National Education Workforce Survey for Wales on 31st October, which is administered by the Education Workforce Council. The survey seeks to gain the views and opinions of teachers and learning support workers in schools and further education settings as well as supply workers on key issues in areas such as professional development, performance management and workload. Results from the survey will be published by the EWC early in the new year.
Darren Millar (Clwyd West): What work has been undertaken by the Welsh Government to map the current education workforce landscape in order to set a baseline to determine targets for forward planning? (WAQ71551)
Answer received on 30 November 2016
Kirsty Williams: Currently, to inform target setting we have a Teacher Planning and Supply Model (TPSM) which is used to inform decisions on intake targets for Initial Teacher Education Training (ITET). Base line data on the workforce to feed into the model comes from a variety of sources including the Welsh Government’s Pupil Level Annual School Census (PLASC), the Education Workforce Council’s Register of Education Practitioners, ITET intake figures from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) and information from the Higher Education Funding Council for Wales (HEFCW).
The Welsh Government’s Workforce Planning and Mobility Sub-group has been working to identify the data items required to better inform workforce planning across all public services including education. This will allow detailed analysis of current gaps and issues to address.
In addition, we are working on bringing regulations into force which would enable the collection of a greater level of information on the school workforce in Wales.
This will help to consolidate and improve our school workforce intelligence and enable effective workforce planning to ensure that the right people with the right skills are deployed to provide a high quality and motivated workforce.
We have been meeting with key organisations in order to define data requirements, understand current systems and refine the draft regulations which we plan to launch a formal consultation on in the new year.
Darren Millar (Clwyd West): Has the Welsh Government undertaken any surveys to gain an understanding of the Welsh language skills of the whole education workforce, including Welsh language skills of the workforce in the English-medium sector and, if so, will the data be published? (WAQ71552)
Answer received on 30 November 2016
Kirsty Williams: I announced the launch of the first National Education Workforce Survey for Wales on 31st October, which is administered by the Education Workforce Council. The survey seeks to gain the views and opinions of teachers and learning support workers in schools and further education settings as well as supply workers on key issues.
The survey includes a section on the Welsh language with questions on the use of the Welsh language in their role, what Welsh language qualifications they hold and where further development in their Welsh language skills is required. The survey is being administered by the Education Workforce Council as it would allow responses from the survey to be linked to their register of education practitioners. This will allow responses to be analysed by key characteristics including school phase and school sector.
Results from the survey will be published by the EWC early in the new year.
This builds on information gathered via EWC’s registration process which gathers information on practitioners’ Welsh language skills (http://ewc.wales/site/index.php/en/documents/research-and-statistics/annual-statistics-digest/84-ewc-annual-statistics-digest-2016) as well as PLASC data on the numbers of teachers working through the medium of Welsh (https://statswales.gov.wales/v/BxLF).
Darren Millar (Clwyd West): What discussions have been held with the teacher training colleges and other training providers to ensure an adequate supply of teaching staff with Welsh language skills to meet current demand? (WAQ71558)
Answer received on 30 November 2016
The Minister for Lifelong Learning and Welsh Language (Alun Davies): The Welsh Government has actively pursued the involvement and engagement of all Initial Teacher Education (ITE) Centres in Wales as part of ITE reform. The launch of draft Accreditation Criteria in March provided a critical opportunity for the participation of schools, existing ITE Centres, HEIs and other key stakeholders, to promote and generate discussions and support early progress. The development of practitioners’ Welsh-language skills and ability to teach through the medium of Welsh have been a key part of these discussions.
Formal consultation on the Accreditation Criteria and proposals for enhanced functions of the Education Workforce Council closed on November 14th. The consultation invited comments on opportunities for the development of the workforce’s Welsh language skills. Responses are currently being analysed for consideration.
Darren Millar (Clwyd West): What is the overall action plan and timescales envisaged for increasing supply of teaching staff with Welsh language skills to meet current demand? (WAQ71559)
Answer received on 30 November 2016
Alun Davies: Developing the teaching workforce’s Welsh language skills and ability to teach effectively through the medium of Welsh is a key part of the Welsh Language Strategy. The consultation period for the Strategy ended on 31 October and responses are currently being analysed.
The final Strategy, and supporting implementation plans, will be published in the spring and will provide further detail on how we propose to increase the supply of teaching staff with the required Welsh language skills as well as develop the current workforce’s ability to teach Welsh and other subjects through the medium of Welsh.
Janet Finch-Saunders (Aberconwy): Will the Minister make a statement on the current monopoly the WJEC has on the examinations and curriculums in our secondary schools and sixth form colleges, and state whether she is prepared to support schools who would like to consider using other examination boards? (WAQ71560)
Answer received on 6 December 2016
Kirsty Williams: The Welsh Ministers' functions relating to the regulation of qualifications and the qualifications system in Wales were repealed in September 2015 with the establishment of Qualifications Wales as the independent regulator.
The programme of reforming GCSEs, AS and A Levels has transferred from the Welsh Government to Qualifications Wales. All awarding bodies that offer general qualifications were invited to develop new and revised specifications for teaching in Wales from September 2015, 2016 and 2017; only the WJEC chose to take forward this programme of work. Consequently, only the WJEC is developing the new and revised general qualifications being introduced in Wales; only these qualifications will be available to the maintained sector in the subjects being revised. For all other subjects, secondary schools and colleges will be free to choose from a range of specifications provided by any of the awarding bodies that offer general qualifications.